Method of replacing a detached retina

ABSTRACT

A method of repairing a detached retina includes removing sub-retinal fluid from a location within the eye between the retinal tissue and an underlying support tissue, inserting a biocompatible elastomeric patch having encapsulated ferromagnetic particles into an interior of the eye through an incision of a sclera of the eye, positioning a magnetic source adjacent to an exterior surface of the eye such that the magnetic source is aligned with the detached retinal tissue, and drawing the removable elastomeric patch toward the detached portion of the retina with the magnetic source such that the detached retinal tissue is substantially maintained against underlying support tissue along an inner eye wall by magnetic attraction between the encapsulated magnetic particles of the removable elastomeric patch and the magnetic source.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/092,594, to Richard Breazeale for a Magnetic Retinal Patch, which wasfiled on Nov. 27, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to a method of treating retinal detachment. Moreparticularly, this disclosure relates to a method of using a magneticocular retinal patch for repairing a detached retina.

BACKGROUND

Retinal detachments occur when the retina peels away from its underlyingsupport tissue, thereby allowing subretinal fluid to enter between theretina and underlying support tissue. Retinal detachments may occur as aresult of a localized hole or tear in the retina and may rapidly spreadpotentially resulting in detachment of the entire retina if leftuntreated, ultimately resulting in severe vision impairment orblindness.

Retinal detachment may occur in three ways: (1) rhegmatogenous retinaldetachment; (2) tractional retinal detachment; and (3) exudative retinaldetachment. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment occurs when a hole orbreak forms in the retina, allowing the vitreous humor to flow betweenthe retina and underlying support tissue and thereby cause the retina todetach. Tractional retinal detachment occurs when scar tissue causes theretina to detach from the underlying support tissue. Finally, exudativeretinal detachment occurs when fluid seeps out of blood vessels beneaththe retina into a space between the retina and underlying supporttissue, thereby causing the retina to detach.

A number of treatment options currently exist but each of them includevarying drawbacks. One method of treatment is scleral buckle surgery inwhich one or more bands may be attached to the sclera of the eye. Theone or more bands may push the wall of the eye inward towards theretinal hole or tear and remain in place until the retina re-attaches tothe underlying support tissue. However, scleral buckle surgery oftenresults in myopic shift and other complications.

Another traditional form of treatment is through pneumatic retinopexy,wherein a gas bubble is injected into the eye followed by laser orfreezing treatment to the hole or tear in the retina. The patient isthen positioned such that the gas bubble migrates to a position adjacentto the site of the hole or tear in the retina until the retina hashealed. However, pneumatic retinopexy requires that the patient maintaintheir head in a designated position to maintain the bubble against thehole or tear in the retina, and further may be impractical when the holeor tear occurs in certain portions of the eye.

Recently, experiments have been conducted wherein a retinal detachmentis treated with a ferrofluid. Specifically, the ferrofluid is injectedinto the eye and a magnetic source is placed adjacent to the site ofdetachment to attract the ferrofluid and thereby pull the retina againstthe underlying support tissue. However, this method of treatment hasseveral drawbacks including displacement of the ferrofluid duringtreatment. Additionally, the ferrofluid may enter the sub-retinal spacebetween the detached retina and underlying support tissue and preventre-attachment of the retina. Finally, removal of the ferrofluid may bedifficult because the individual magnetic particles may be dispersedwithin the eye or may drift under the retina between the retina andunderlying support tissue. If magnetic particles remain in the eye, apatient may experience pain or other medical issues such as, forexample, complications if the patient later undergoes a magneticresonance imaging (MM) procedure.

What is needed, therefore, is a simple method and apparatus for treatinga retinal detachment that minimizes side effects and improves recoveryresults of the patient.

SUMMARY

The above and other needs are met by a magnetic retinal treatmentapparatus for treatment of a detached retina of an eye. In a firstaspect, the magnetic retinal treatment apparatus includes a removableelastomeric patch formed of a biocompatible material containingferromagnetic particles encapsulated within the elastomeric patch and apermanent rare-earth magnet secured adjacent to the exterior surface ofthe eye. The removable elastomeric patch is inserted into the eye andpositioned adjacent to the detached retina covering the retinal defect,and he permanent rare-earth magnet is secured to the exterior surface ofthe eye substantially adjacent to the removable elastomeric patch tomaintain the elastomeric patch against the retina, thereby maintainingthe retina against an underlying support tissue of the retina.

In one embodiment, the removable elastomeric patch is formed from asilicone elastomer. In another embodiment, the silicone elastomer isformed from commercially available Silastic® available from Dow CorningCorporation. In yet another embodiment, the ferromagnetic particles areformed from iron filings.

In one embodiment, the removable elastomeric patch has a thickness offrom about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm. In another embodiment, the removableelastomeric patch has a total surface area of from about 5 mm² to about800 mm².

In one embodiment, the ferromagnetic particles are substantiallyconcentrated in one or more areas of the removable elastomeric patchalong an area of the retina where a greater force is desired to beapplied by the patch. In another embodiment, the ferromagnetic particlesare substantially evenly distributed throughout the removableelastomeric patch.

In one embodiment, the permanent rare-earth magnet is secured to theexterior surface of the eye with an adhesive. In another embodiment, theretinal treatment apparatus further comprises a band positioned on oraround the exterior of the eye for temporarily securing the permanentrare-earth magnet adjacent the exterior surface of the eye.

In yet another embodiment, the patch is substantially transparent.

In a second aspect, a method of repairing a detached retina of an eye isprovided. The method of repairing a detached retina includes removingsub-retinal fluid from between the retina and an underlying supporttissue of the eye; inserting a removable elastomeric patch into aninterior of the eye, the removable elastomeric patch containing aplurality of ferromagnetic particles embedded within the elastomericpatch; positioning the removable elastomeric patch adjacent to thedetached retina; positioning a permanent magnetic source adjacent to anexterior surface of the eye substantially aligned with the detachedretina; and pulling the removable elastomeric patch against the detachedretina with the magnet such that the detached retina is substantiallymaintained against the underlying support tissue by the removableelastomeric patch.

In one embodiment, the elastomeric patch is rolled prior to insertingthe elastomeric patch into the interior of the eye. In anotherembodiment, the method further includes injecting a fluid into theinterior of the eye after pulling the removable elastomeric patchagainst the detached retina wherein the removable elastomeric patchprevents fluid from passing through a hole or tear in the retina into aspace between the retina and the underlying support tissue. In yetanother embodiment, the method further comprises removing theelastomeric patch with a magnet retrieval tool.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises treating the retina witha concentrated energy beam (e.g., a laser) through the elastomericpatch.

In a third aspect, a method of forming a removable elastomeric patch forrepairing a detached retina is provided. The method of forming aremovable elastomeric patch for repairing a detached retina includesforming a continuous sheet of elastomeric material, the elastomericmaterial comprising a plurality of ferromagnetic particles embeddedwithin the elastomeric material; forming a patch from the elastomericmaterial, the patch dimensioned to cover a desired area of the detachedretina; and inserting the patch of elastomeric material into an interiorof an eye adjacent the detached retina.

In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of elastomeric material isformed of a silicone elastomer. In another embodiment, the continuoussheet of elastomeric material is formed from commercially availableSilastic®.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure willbecome better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription, appended claims, and accompanying figures, wherein elementsare not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein likereference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views,and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a magnetic retinal treatment apparatusaccording to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an elastomeric patch according to oneembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an eye including a retinal tear accordingto one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an elastomeric patch positioned over aretinal tear according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 5-9 illustrate the treatment of a retinal tear using a magneticretinal patch according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a retinal patch formed into an elongate narrowstrand according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates forming an elongate narrow retinal patch into a loopon a retina according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a sheet including various pre-cut retinal patchesaccording to one embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 13 illustrates alternative distributions of ferromagnetic particlesthroughout a retinal patch according to one embodiment of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various terms used herein are intended to have particular meanings. Someof these terms are defined below for the purpose of clarity. Thedefinitions given below are meant to cover all forms of the words beingdefined (e.g., singular, plural, present tense, past tense). If thedefinition of any term below diverges from the commonly understoodand/or dictionary definition of such term, the definitions belowcontrol.

FIG. 1 shows a basic embodiment of a retinal detachment apparatus 10 ofthe present disclosure. The retinal treatment apparatus 10 of thepresent disclosure includes a patch 12 positioned within an interiorcavity 14 of an eye 18 and secured adjacent to a retina 16 of the eye18. A permanent magnet 20 is positioned adjacent to an outer surface 22of the eye 18 and pulls the patch 12 towards the retina 16, therebymaintaining the retina 16 against an underlying support tissue 24 of theretina 16.

The patch 12 is preferably formed of a medical grade silicone elastomer,such as, for example, Dow Corning® QP1 silicone elastomer, Dow CorningSilastic® silicone elastomer or other biocompatible elastomeric materialfor implanting in the eye. The patch 12 is flexible to a degree whereinthe patch 12 can be manipulated to conform to a shape substantially thesame as the applicable retina 16 when the patch is placed adjacent theretina 16. The patch 12 may be formed into one or more shapes based onthe particular area of the retina 16 to be treated. For example, in oneembodiment the patch 12 may be formed into one or more rectangularshapes. In other embodiments, the patch 12 may be formed into circular,polygonal or other like shapes for being secured adjacent to the retina16. The size of the patch 12 be selected based on a size of retinaldefect to be corrected and a desired location of the patch. For example,in one embodiment the size of the patch 12 may be relatively large, withan area of approximately 800 mm² such that the patch 12 provides supportfor a large area of the retina 16. In an alternative embodiment, thepatch 12 may be relatively small with an area of approximately 5 mm² toprovide support over a desired portion of the retina 16. Further, thepatch 12 preferably has a thickness of from about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm.

An optional low friction coating may be formed on an outer surface ofthe elastomer patch 12 to reduce any “sticking” or friction between thepatch 12 and a surface of the retina 16 when the patch 12 is securedadjacent to the retina 16. Alternatively, a low friction additive may beadded to the elastomeric material to reduce sticking of the patch 12.

The patch 12 includes a plurality of ferromagnetic particles 26 embeddedin the elastomeric material as shown in FIG. 2. The ferromagneticparticles 26 are preferably formed of iron oxide and/or other likemagnetic materials. However, it is also understood that theferromagnetic particles 26 may be formed of other like magneticparticles such as stainless steel filings. In one embodiment, theferromagnetic particles 26 are preferably evenly spread throughout thepatch 12 such that when the magnet 20 is placed adjacent to the patch12, a substantially equal pressure is applied to the retina 16 over theapplicable surface area of the patch 12.

The patch 12 including the embedded ferromagnetic particles 26 ispreferably formed by mixing the ferromagnetic particles 26 into a gel orliquid. The ferromagnetic particles 26 may be evenly mixed throughoutthe gel or liquid before placing the mixture into a mold. The mold maybe in the form of a desired shaped of the patch 12, such as a rectangleor other suitable shape. The mixture may then be cured, such as by heator other known curing techniques, to convert the mixture from a liquidor gel to the elastomeric material of the patch 12. In an alternativeembodiment, the mixture of gel or liquid and ferromagnetic particles 26may be extruded and cured form a substantially continuous patch sheet orroll.

In one embodiment, the patch 12 may be formed by spreading a thin layerof uncured elastomeric material and spreading a plurality offerromagnetic particles 26 across a surface of the uncured elastomericmaterial. A following step includes passing a magnetic source adjacentto an underside of the thin layer of elastomeric material, therebypulling the plurality of ferromagnetic particles 26 into the thin layerof elastomeric material. The thin layer of uncured elastomeric materialis then allowed to cure to encapsulate the ferromagnetic particles 26within the elastomeric material, thereby forming a patch 12 suitable forimplantation within an eye.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the permanent magnet 20 is preferably arare-earth magnet such as, for example, a neodymium magnet. However,other permanent magnets that are capable of producing a strong enoughmagnetic field to maintain the patch 12 against the retina 16 may besuitable for use. The size of the permanent magnet 20 can vary based onthe size of the patch 12 and the amount of force desired to be appliedto the retina 16. The permanent magnet 20 may be formed in variousshapes such as circular, rectangular, or other like shapes.

Referring to FIG. 3, an eye 18 is shown including a hole or tear 28 inthe retina 16, such as a hole or tear that occurs during rhegmatogenousretinal detachment. Referring now to FIG. 3, the patch 12 is insertedinto the interior cavity 14 through a trocar or separate incisionthrough the sclera of the eye 18 and positioned adjacent the hole ortear 28 in the retina 16. The patch 12 is positioned such that the patch12 substantially covers the hole or tear 28 in the retina as shown inFIG. 4. The permanent magnet 20 is placed adjacent the exterior of theeye 18 and adjacent the hole or tear 28 in the retina 16. When thepermanent magnet 20 is in position adjacent the hole or tear 28, theembedded ferromagnetic particles 26 of the patch 12 are attractedtowards the retina 16, thereby pressing the retina 16 towards theunderlying support tissue 24 of the eye 18 with the patch 12. The patch12 is preferably secured adjacent to the retina 16 by capillary actionbetween a surface of the patch 12 and a surface of the retina afterpositioning the patch 12 with the magnet 20 such that the patch iscapable of being secured adjacent to the retina 16 without requiring anadhesive while allowing the patch 12 to be readily removed from adjacentto the retina without imparting any damage to the retina.

In one embodiment, the magnet 20 is secured to the outer surface 22 ofthe eye 18, such as with an adhesive, sutures, or a band secured on oraround the eye to maintain the magnet 20 against the eye 18. The magnet20 maintains the patch 12 against the retina 16 until the retina 16 hassubstantially healed and re-attached to the underlying support tissue24. After the retina 16 is substantially healed, the magnet 20 may beremoved from the outer surface 22 of the eye 18. Further, the patch 12may be removed from the eye 18 without damaging the retina 16 due to thenon-adhesive securing of the patch 12 to the retina 16. In oneembodiment, a magnetic retrieval tool may be used to aid in retrievingand removing the patch 12 from the eye 18 wherein the retrieval toolpulls the patch 12 away from the retina 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, the retinal detachment apparatus 10 may beused in conjunction with a fluid injected into the eye 18 to furthermaintain the retina 16 in place after installing the patch 12. FIG. 5shows a retina 16 including the hole or tear 28 as detached from theunderlying support tissue 24 of the eye 18. As shown in FIG. 6, simplyinjecting a fluid 30 into the eye without securing the retina 16 to theunderlying support tissue 24 would cause fluid to pass through the holeor tear 28 and into a cavity formed between the retina and underlyingsupport tissue 24 of the eye 18. This would inhibit re-attachment of theretina 16 to the underlying support tissue 24 and may cause furtherdetachment of the retina 16 from the underlying support tissue 24.However, by first supporting the retina 16 against the underlyingsupport tissue 24 of the eye 18 allows a fluid to be injected into theeye to facilitate healing of the retina 16 to the underlying supporttissue 24. Suitable fluids and gases include, for example, silicone oilhaving a viscosity of from about 5,000 centistokes to about 1,000centistokes, filtered air, sulfur hexafluorane gas, perfluoroprane gasor heavy silicone.

FIG. 7 illustrates inserting the patch 12 of the present disclosure intothe eye 18. The patch 12 may be rolled to reduce the size of an incisionrequired to insert the patch 12 into the eye 18. The patch 12 is thenunrolled and positioned adjacent to the retina 16 such that the patch 12substantially covers the hole or tear 28 in the retina 16 as illustratedin FIG. 8. The magnet 20 maintains the patch 12 against the hole or tear28 of the retina 16. Fluid 30 is then injected into an interior cavityof the eye wherein the patch 12 prevents the fluid from passing throughthe hole or tear 28 and behind the retina 16. Finally, FIG. 9illustrates further treating the retina with a concentrated energy beam32 wherein the patch 12 is substantially transparent, thereby allowingthe concentrated energy beam 32 to treat the retina 16 through the patch12.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the patch 12 is formedinto an elongate narrow strand. A plurality of the ferromagneticparticles 26 are aligned along a length of the strand within theelongate narrow strand. By forming the patch 12 into an elongate strand,the strand may be positioned adjacent the retina 16 in variousconfigurations to aid in supporting the retina 16. For example, FIG. 11illustrates forming the elongate strand patch 12 into a loop around ahole or tear 28 in the retina 16 to support the retina 16. In otherembodiments, patches 12 formed into one or more strands may bepositioned adjacent to the retina 16 in various orientations as requiredto support the retina 16 while repairing a retinal defect. For example,the one or more strands may be used to pull the retina 16 againstunderlying tissue 24 by a permanent magnet placed adjacent to theoutside of the eye 18 to maintain the retina 16 in place while theretinal defect is repaired. Other configurations of the strand mayinclude, for example, configuring one or more strands of the patches 12into a rectangular shape around a retinal defect or forming the strandsin a crossing pattern over a defect to encourage re-attachment of theretina 16 to the underlying tissue 24.

In one embodiment, the patch 12 may be formed into an elongatecontinuous roll or continuous sheet. When the patch 12 is to be placedadjacent to a hole or tear in the retina, the patch may be sized andshaped according to a size of the hole or tear in the retina to berepaired. Multiple custom-shaped patches may be formed from the patchcomprising a single roll or sheet. The continuous patch roll or sheetmay have varying amounts of ferromagnetic particles such that a patchformed from one particular roll or sheet may exert a stronger force onthe retina than a patch formed from another particular roll or sheethaving fewer ferromagnetic particles within the roll or sheet.

In yet another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 12, a sheet 34 may beprovided including various pre-cut patches 36 (36A, 36B, 36C, and 36D).When a healthcare professional requires one or more patches 36 for useduring a retinal detachment procedure, the healthcare professional mayselect one or more of the pre-cut patches 36 based on a retinal defectto be cured. Various pre-cut patches 36 may be provided, each having adifferent size, shape, and/or relative concentration of ferromagneticparticles therein such that the healthcare provider has several optionswhen choosing a particular patch 36 for use during a particularprocedure.

Referring to FIG. 3, while preferably the ferromagnetic particles 26 areuniformly spread throughout the patch, in another embodiment, theferromagnetic particles 26 may be concentrated in one or more desiredareas of the patch 12 such that a greater force is applied over an areawhere the ferromagnetic particles 26 have greater concentration relativeto areas of lesser concentration of ferromagnetic particles 26.

In one embodiment, the patch 12 may include one or more endodrainagesites 38 formed through the patch. The one or more endodrainage sites 38allow any fluid trapped behind the retina to pass out of the retina,through the endodrainage site 38 and into the interior of the eye.

The retinal detachment apparatus 10 of the present disclosureadvantageously provides a removable elastomeric patch for repairing aretina. The plurality of ferromagnetic particles are embedded andsubstantially contained within the elastomeric patch. The elastomericpatch is inserted into the eye and positioned adjacent to the retina.The magnet located outside of the eye pulls the patch 12 into positionadjacent to a retinal detachment to facilitate repair of the retinaldetachment. The patch is configured to be removably secured to theretina using the magnet while allowing the patch to be readily removedfrom the retina after the retina has sufficiently healed so that thepatch is no longer required to facilitate re-attachment of the retina tothe underlying support tissue. Because the ferromagnetic particles areembedded within the patch, when the patch is removed, all ferromagneticparticles are also removed, thereby ensuring that no ferromagneticparticles remain in the eye. Further, removal of the patch results inimmediate removal of the ferromagnetic particles without the need towait for the particles to be absorbed or otherwise removed from the eye.

It has been found that by forming the patch 12 in accordance with thedisclosure above, the patch 12 is substantially capable of being securedto the retina without the use of an adhesive, thereby allowing the patchto be readily removed from the retina without damaging the retina whenthe retina is substantially healed. When the patch 12 is removed fromthe eye, the ferromagnetic particles within the patch are removed fromthe eye as well such that individual magnetic particles do not have tobe retrieved from the interior of the eye. Further, the patient is notrequired to wait until any ferromagnetic particles within the eye aresubstantially absorbed by the eye and surrounding tissue beforereceiving an MM or other magnetic treatment.

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the presentdisclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. The described preferred embodiments are not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the scope of the disclosure to the preciseform(s) disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible inlight of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and describedin an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of thedisclosure and its practical application, and to thereby enable one ofordinary skill in the art to utilize the concepts revealed in thedisclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications andvariations are within the scope of the disclosure as determined by theappended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to whichthey are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of repairing detached retinal tissue ofan eye, the method comprising the steps of: removing sub-retinal fluidfrom a location within the eye between the retinal tissue and anunderlying support tissue; inserting a biocompatible elastomeric patchinto an interior of the eye through an incision of a sclera of the eye,the elastomeric patch comprising a plurality of ferromagnetic particlesencapsulated within the elastomeric patch; positioning a magnetic sourceadjacent to an exterior surface of the eye such that the magnetic sourceis aligned with the detached retinal tissue; and drawing the elastomericpatch toward the detached retinal tissue with the magnetic source suchthat the detached retinal tissue is substantially maintained againstunderlying support tissue along an inner eye wall by the plurality offerromagnetic particles encapsulated within the elastomeric patch andthe magnetic source.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the elastomericpatch is rolled prior to inserting the elastomeric patch into theinterior of the eye.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising thestep of injecting a fluid into the interior of the eye after drawing theelastomeric patch toward the detached retinal tissue, wherein theelastomeric patch prevents fluid from passing through an aperture in theretina to a space between the retina and the underlying support tissue.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing theelastomeric patch and the plurality of ferromagnetic particlesencapsulated within the elastomeric patch from the interior of the eye.5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of removing theelastomeric patch from the interior of the eye using a retrieval toolhaving a magnet.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step oftreating the retina with a concentrated energy beam through theelastomeric patch.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the stepsof: forming the elastomeric patch into an elongate strand havingencapsulated ferromagnetic particles along a length of the patch strand;and shaping the elongate strand into a loop around the detached retinaltissue of the eye.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising thesteps of: forming a sheet of elastomeric material, the elastomericmaterial comprising the plurality of ferromagnetic particlesencapsulated within the elastomeric material; and cutting theelastomeric patch from a portion of the elastomeric material, theelastomeric patch dimensioned to cover a desired area of the detachedretina and including encapsulated the plurality of ferromagneticparticles encapsulated within the elastomeric material.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the sheet of elastomeric material is formed of asilicone elastomer.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising thestep of applying a nonadhesive coating to at least one side of the sheetof elastomeric material.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the sheet ofelastomeric material is formed from commercially available Silastic®.12. The method of claim 8, wherein the sheet of elastomeric materialincludes a plurality of precut patches formed on the sheet ofelastomeric material.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more ofthe precut patches include an endodrainage site formed through thepatches.
 14. A method of repairing detached retinal tissue of an eye,the method comprising the steps of: removing sub-retinal fluid from alocation within the eye between the retinal tissue and an underlyingsupport tissue; inserting a biocompatible elastomeric patch into aninterior of the eye through an incision of a sclera of the eye, theelastomeric patch comprising a plurality of ferromagnetic particlesencapsulated within the elastomeric patch; positioning a magnetic sourceadjacent to an exterior surface of the eye such that the magnetic sourceis aligned with the detached retinal tissue; drawing the elastomericpatch toward the detached retinal tissue with the magnetic source suchthat the detached retinal tissue is substantially maintained againstunderlying support tissue along an inner eye wall by magnetic attractionbetween the plurality of ferromagnetic particles encapsulated within theelastomeric patch and the magnetic source; and removing the elastomericpatch and the plurality of ferromagnetic particles encapsulated withinthe elastomeric patch from the interior of the eye with a magnetic tool.